Foldable shipping-crate.



PATENTBD SEPT. 4, 1906.

F. E. GOLIGHTLY.

FOLDABLE SHIPPING CRATE.

APPLIOATION FILED OGT.14,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Attor n eys Witnesses Inventor by I I mi nURRIS Ilrsns C0 WASNINGTON, n.c.

PATENTED- SEPT. 4, 1906.

F. E. GOLIGHTLY.

'POLDABLE SHIPPING CRATE.

APPLICATION rum) 001.14, 1906'.

2 exams SHEET 2'.

- Inventor Witnesses Attorneys- UNITED srArns PATENT FFIGE.

FOLDABLE SHIPPING-CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906 Application filed October 14, 1905. Serial No.282,802.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK E. GoLIeH'rLY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Azotus, in the county of Pope and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Foldable Shiping-Crate, of which the followingis a speci cation.

This invention relates to shipping-crates, and while primarily designedfor the shipment of eggs is also capable of containing any character ofcommodity.

Among the prime objects of the invention it is proposed to provide forconveniently folding the crate into compact form for return shipment asan empty and in this connection to maintain the several parts of thecrate successively connected in order that the crate may be quickly setup in position for use without requiring any reassemblage of the parts.It is moreover proposed to provide for binding the edges of the crate,so as to protect the same, and to make use of the binding elements inhinging and otherwise connecting the parts of the crate.

l/Vith these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crate embodying thefeatures of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showingthe crate partially folded. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing thecrate folded. Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary perspective view. Fig. 5 isa detail perspective view of one of the terminal binding elements forthe bottom of the crate.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures of the drawings.

The present crate includes a back 1, a front 2, which is a substantialduplicate of the back, a top 3, a bottom 4, and opposite ends 5.

Each end of the back of the crate is embraced by a metallic bracket 6.The top of this bracket or substantially semitubular binding-stripoverhangs the top edge of the forwardly-directed ear 10, similar to theear 8 and constituting a hinged connection between the back of the crateand the end at the bottom of the latter. In addition to the ear 10 thebottom of the strip 6 has aforward extension 11, which embraces theadjacent end of the rear section 4 of the bottom of the crate, wherebysaid section is rigidly connect ed to the back of the crate. Theextension 11 is provided with an ear 12, overlapping the adjacent end ofthe main bottom section 4, and pierced by pivot-pin 13, whereby thesection l is hinged to the section 1 and is capable of being foldedupwardly and rearwardly toward the back of the crate.

Each end of the front 2 of the crate is embraced by a substantiallysemitubular binding-strip 14, the upper and lower end portions 15 and 16of which embrace the respective top and bottom edges of the front 2 andare secured thereto by suitable fastenings. These top and bottomportions of the strip 14 are extended inwardly to form ears 17 andlS,which respectively overlap the top and bot tom of the adjacent end ofthe crate, to which they are pivotally connected, as described for theear 8. Suitable binding-strips 19 and 20 embrace the top and bottomedges of each end of the crate, and the ears of the front and back ofthe crate overlap said binding-strips.

A transverse partition 21 is provided substantially midway between theends of the crate, its top and bottom edges being embraced bybinding-strips 22 and 23, similar to those for the ends of the crate.Each corner of the partition is hinged to the adjacent side of the crateby means of a substantially U- shaped clip 24, which straddles and isrigidly secured to the side of the crate and has an ear 25 clefttherefrom and overlapping the adjacent edge of the partition to which itis pivotally connected. By preference the front and rear edges of theends of the crate and the partition are rounded or beveled in order thatsaid members may swing in opposite directions from their normal set-uppositions.

Each end of the main bottom section 4 of the crate is provided with abinding-strip 26,

which embraces the upper and lower faces of said bottom section and isprovided with a corner extension 27, constituting a bracket lying uponthe upper face of the bottom section at the outer corner thereof, so asto brace the same. At the outer end of the strip 26 there is an inturnedhooked portion jections 29 of the strips 14 enter the seats or keepers28, and thereby connect the bottom of the crate with the body portionthereof without necessitating the manipulation of extraneous fastenings.

The top 3 of the crate is provided at each end with a binding-strip 30,which embraces the upper and lower sides of the top and is provided atits inner end with a bearing-eye 31, which is disposed at the inner sideof and in alinement with a similar eye 32 upon the top of the adjacentback binding-strip 6. A suitable pintle-rod 33 is passed through theeyes 31 and 32 at each end of the crate, so as to hinge the top to theback of the crate. At the front end of the strip 30 there is ahookshaped seat or keeper 34, similar to that shown at 28 and designedto receive the ear or projection 35 at the top of the adjacent strip 14when the crate is set up, as exhibited in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

For the purpose of locking the elements of the crate in rigid conditionwhen set up for use there is a locking-bolt 36, mounted in a case 37,secured to the upper clip 24 upon the front 2 of the crate, said boltbeing designed to engage with a keeper 38, provided upon the free edgeof the top of the crate. This locking-bolt is provided with a projectionor finger-piece 39, which works in a longitudinal slot in the case andis capable of being turned into a transverse branch thereof, so as tolock the bolt when engaged with the keeper in the well-known manner ofbolts now in common use.

To fold the crate from its set-up condition, as shown in Fig. 1, thebolt- 36 is withdrawn from the keeper 38, and then the ends of the crateare folded in either direction toward the back thereof, as indicated inFig. 2, until one of the ends and the partition fold flat against theback of the crate. When the front has thus been folded against the back,it is disposed in rear of the main bottom section 4, whereby said mainbottom section may be folded upwardly against the front of the crate.

It will here be explained that the upper a pair of notches or recesses40 for the reception of the individual foot projections 29 whenthebottom of the crate is folded upwardly against the back thereof. The top3 is folded downwardly against the rear side of the back and is held inthis position by means of hooks, one at each end of the crate, each hook41 being pivoted upon the adjacent extremity of the back and arranged toengage a pin or projection 42, extending fi'om the ad j acent end of thetop of the crate. After the bottom section 4 has been folded upwardlytoward the back of the crate and beyond the front thereof the bolt 36 isdropped into one of a pair of sockets or notches 43, formed in the outerfree edge of the bottom section 4 and overlapped by the metal parts 27,whereby all the elements of the crate are rigidly locked in the closedor folded condition of the crate, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of thedrawings.

When closed, the crate is in compact form for convenience in storage andreturn shipment, while at the same time the crate may be unfolded andquickly set up without requiring the manipulation of extraneousfastening devices, as all of the interengaging parts of the crate areproportioned so as to come into engagement when the elements are swunginto their normal set-up positions.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A cratecomprising a back having terminal binding-strips provided at their lowerends with forward extensions, a bottom sec tion rigidly carried by theextensions of the binding-strips, ends having top and bottombinding-strips hinged to the binding-strips of the back, a front havingterminal bindingstrips hinged to the binding-strips 0f the ends, afoldable bottom section having terminal binding-strips hinged to theextensions of the back binding-strips, and a top having endbinding-strips hinged to the bindingstrips of the back.

2. A crate comprising a back, a bottom hinged to the back, endbinding-strips for the bottom, said strips being provided at their outerends with upturned hook portions, ends hinged to the back, afront hingedto the ends, and binding-strips for the ends of the front, saidbinding-strips being provided at their lower ends with lateralprojections for detachable engagement with the hook portions of thebinding-strips on the bottom of the crate.

3. A foldable crate comprising a back, a rigid bottom section immovablysecured thereto and extending at an an le therefrom, a front, endshinged to the en s of the front and back and adapted to fold thereuponto IIO bring the front in position above the bottom I ears upon thefront of the crate, a top hinged my own I have hereto aflixed mysignature in to and adapted to fold upon the outer face of the presenceof two Witnesses.

the back bindin -strips embracin and secured to the end at the top andbottom, and FRANK GOLIGHTLY' 5 hooked keepers integral With said stripsand Vitnesses:

adapted to engage the ears. GEO. SAWYER,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as R. S. LOOKERBY.

